BERLIN (Reuters), – A coalition of airports and airlines called Monday for amendments to EU’s climate change legislation. They claim it would make them less competitive against non-European counterparts.

Last July, the European Union made plans to target the aviation sector, which is responsible for at least 3% of all global carbon emissions. It presented plans that included stricter regulations on CO2 emissions, use of synthetic fuel mixtures and the introduction of a kerosene fee.

All Lufthansa subsidiaries and Air France-KLM are part of the alliance. They also include major airports like Frankfurt’s Schipol and Amsterdam’s Schipol. The alliance claims that long-haul flights through non-European hubs will not face the same costs. This could lead to increased business for such airlines.

Allies reject a kerosene levy and suggest that the surcharge for environmental protection be applied to the entire route of the flight, not just the feeder flights that take passengers from within the EU to destinations such as Istanbul or Dubai.

However, in principle the alliance favors the EU’s Fit For 55 climate package. It aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions 55% more by 2030 than 1990 levels.